Cowboys Former Fourth-Overall Pick Scratched for Disciplinary Reasons

The Dallas Cowboys made a surprising move by announcing that running back Ezekiel Elliott would be a healthy scratch for Week Nine. Just hours before kickoff in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, NFL Network reporter Jane Slater announced in a post on X that the 29-year-old running back would be scratched for the first time in his NFL career. In her post, Slater went on to say that “Elliott has been distracted this season” which contributed to his inactive status. Elliott didn’t end up making the trip to Atlanta and will look to bounce back at home against divisional rival Philadelphia Eagles next week.

Attendance Issues Contributed to Healthy Scratch

It was reported that Elliott had a habit of being tardy with Fox Sports reporter Jay Glazer reporting that he was late to multiple team meetings over the last week. Also, Slater reported that Elliott missed three team meetings and that Friday’s meeting was the “final straw.” The three-time Pro Bowl running back is currently in his ninth NFL season but hasn’t had reports like this come out about him ever. Elliott has never been accused of being lazy as far as the general public knows, so this excessive tardiness came out of nowhere and hopefully Elliott can figure out what’s wrong for both his and the team’s sake.

Elliott’s Fall From Grace After Four Seasons

Elliott has always been one of Jerry Jones’ ‘guys.’ Jones drafted him with the fourth-overall pick in 2016, making him the highest-drafted running back in team history since they drafted Tony Dorsett with the second pick back in 1977. In his younger years, Elliott was exceptional, rushing for 5,405 yards and 40 touchdowns in his first four seasons, averaging 4.6 yards per carry and nearly 100 yards per game. However, much like other great running backs after a heavy workload, Elliott’s production dipped and has never been the same. After suffering multiple injuries to his right leg from 2021-2022, he was a shell of what he once was. From 2020-2022, Elliott rushed for 1,000 yards just once and averaged 60.8 rushing yards per game. Jones realized that Tony Pollard was outplaying Elliott immensely so Elliott was released, leaving him to sign with the Patriots in 2023. That season, he didn’t prove any doubters wrong, rushing for a career-low 642 yards and three touchdowns despite being active in every game.

Zeke Has Been Ineffective in Return to Dallas

After surprisingly drafting zero running backs in this year’s NFL Draft, the Cowboys signed Elliott to a one-year deal on April 30. In ideally Elliott’s best situation, he was reunited in Dallas where his only competition for touches was Rico Dowdle, who has been on the team since 2020 but hadn’t gotten a chance to shine since he was behind Pollard and Elliott. The running back position has been a major concern for Dallas. Dowdle is the leading rusher with a lackluster Elliott playing alongside him–not to mention the signing of fellow 29-year-old running back Dalvin Cook to try and spark the offense–it’s just been an embarrassment, especially after seeing what Derrick Henry's been doing for the Baltimore Ravens.

Jones’ Running Back Decision Came Back to Bite Him

After eight spectacular seasons for the Tennessee Titans, Henry left the team in free agency, giving all 32 teams a chance to add a player that averaged 1,442 yards per season and 14 touchdowns from 2019-2023. Henry went to the Ravens, who just lost in the AFC Championship to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. Henry, who was taken in the second round of the same year that Elliott went fourth overall, is continuing his dominance on the ground, leading the NFL in rushing attempts, yards, and touchdowns, including a 151-yard, two-touchdown performance in “Jerry World.” After that game, Jones went on to say that the team wasn’t considering signing him because they “couldn’t afford Derrick Henry.” The outspoken Cowboys owner and general manager recently doubled down on this statement on

105.3 The Fan, a Dallas radio station, said “In my mind, we’re not playing very good football right now at all, and that’s beyond whether or not we have Derrick Henry,” Jones said on the radio station on October 22th. After everything’s said and done, Jones decided on his ‘guy’ on a one-year, two-million deal instead of finding a way to sign the rushing leader who’s making eight million per year.